During the eventual meeting with the Chisel, Honest Minstrel claims Skellerang is rumored to be preparing for an invasion of Redgorge.
My players will definitely ask him a ton of questions, and I'm not sure i can answer all of them.
I'm not sure about Skellerang's motives (both overt and ulterior) for invading Redgorge.
I can deflect ay questions of 'how did you come by this info' but I want the tidbit to be believable.
We haven't even started the online game yet (although my live group is well into flood season) but I'm just reading ahead, trying to get myself ready. I haven't read much further than demonskar though, so maybe the answers lie in following chapters.
Still, anyone have any insight into this one? Its not clear to me if his motive would be hunting down Tercival? Or Maavu? Or what exactly.....
And why a full scale invasion when the political repurcussions could be disastrous. He would need a good 'WMD' type ruse, wouldn't he?
Maybe I overlooked something, but I'm known to do such things. I'd be grateful for any insight!
Skellerang is following orders of the nobility, Valanthru in fact, the Chisel has always been a counter power for everyone wanting to rule Cauldron even more if they suspect that not everything is ok, as with the Cagewright.
Now that the end is near Valanthru doesn't want to be stopped by those rebels, he wants to crush them, the only legal way to stop this is by finding Tercival, by right of nobility he can challenge the captain and replace him if he wins.
Captain Skellerang is doing what the Lord Mayor tells him to. The Lord Mayor does whatever Vhalantru wants him to. It's a nice little get up old orbius' got going there.
Remember there's probably a lot of bad blood between Redgourge and Cauldron anyway. After all, Cauldron is the military and economic power of the region, while redgourge claims cultural (and maybe even political) superiority in the region (stonemason's district etc.)
Whenever one interferes in the affairs of the other (such as what Maavu did), it is considered meddling. It's fairly easy for Cauldron's government to interpret that as an act of agression, and a perfect excuse to lay siege to the town.
My group just finished Demonskar. You have to begin setting up the reason for the invasion as soon as Maavu makes his first apperance at he begining of Zeinith. I had rumors circulating about him working for a merchants group working toward economic domination of cauldron. My PC's did some pretty good investigation, and put him on their list of people to look into when they returned from rescuing Zeinith.
When they returned, as they sold of treasure etc, delt with the new taxes (necessary because of the unscroupulous merchants of the chisel), and then the challange and accusations against Skellerang (to accuse him of wrong doing is to accuse the entire government, offense to his personal honor, etc), then the final act when Mavuu incites the riots. It gives a pretty good case for military action. I also had Last laugh agents plant rumors that the fire elementals that destroyed the 1/2 orc mercenary barracks were summoned by a powerful spell caster in the employment of the chisel as a preemptive strike. SPIN City baby!
......SPIN City baby!
I appreciate the advice. I think you're dead on with the spin city comment. As I read this, i just keep thinking my players aren't going to buy it, unless I put some effort building up to it. Otherwise, they are just going to be scratching their heads, feeling like one seemingly random and completely unconnected problem after another just keeps hitting them.
One thing I'm brainstorming, is how Honest Minstrel is going to answer some of their questions, especially if I haven't given them reason already to assume some tension between Cauldron and Redgorge.
......SPIN City baby!I appreciate the advice. I think you're dead on with the spin city comment. As I read this, i just keep thinking my players aren't going to buy it, unless I put some effort building up to it. Otherwise, they are just going to be scratching their heads, feeling like one seemingly random and completely unconnected problem after another just keeps hitting them.
One thing I'm brainstorming, is how Honest Minstrel is going to answer some of their questions, especially if I haven't given them reason already to assume some tension between Cauldron and Redgorge.
Let me know how it turns out
How funny. My players have been suspecting corruption in Cauldron since Life's Bazaar. I gave them some time to just scout around the city, and a couple of them have already become friends with Maavu.
We'll see how the chips fall.
As for the full-scale invasion of Redgorge, you could gradually build it up. For example, a warrant is issued for the arrest of Maavu. Then Tercival and Skellerang get into it, and another warrant is issued. When a contingent of guards is sent to arrest either of them in Redgorge, the citizens drive off the Cauldronites with pitchforks and stones.
Thus, Vhalantru and the Lord Mayor have justification for sending in a large force, and the people of Redgorge believe they're just protecting themselves from a large, aggresive outside force.
Like so many things, both sides think they're the good guys.
